6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Bob Hope portrays Arthur J. Niles, noted author of books that offer worldly advice while documenting the lifestyles and love life of various cultures. His newest study: Paradise Village, a rambling new suburb in Southern California's San Fernando Valley.
Starring: Bob Hope, Lana Turner, Janis Paige, Paula Prentiss, Jim Hutton (I)Comedy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A mostly middle-of-the-road romantic comedy starring Bob Hope ten years after his last great joke, Jack Arnold's Bachelor in Paradise is a painfully dated production that nonetheless might still carry a certain charm for die-hard fans. And if nothing else, it's a pretty great time capsule of Woodland Hills, California circa 1961, where tawdry author A.J. Niles (Hope) ends up after a shady accountant leaves him with a six-figure debt. Unable to leave the country, A.J. -- under the new name "Jack Adams" -- hides out in suburban "Paradise Village" to research his next book and ends up being pursued by its surplus of bored young housewives. If that's not believable, just remember that Bachelor in Paradise's main character is a millionaire actually being punished for not paying federal taxes.
Bachelor in Paradise isn't bad by any stretch, it's just mostly predictable and takes very few chances with its narrative, feeling more like a three-part sitcom arc than a big-screen feature. It doesn't help that most of Bob Hope's quips -- not to mention his unbroken, leering gaze -- have aged like milk, which doesn't exactly make our protagonist an easy man to root for. At best it's passable fare, but mostly by way of its time-capsule charm as we get a nice look at early-1960s Woodland Hills and its then-modern supermarkets, harvest gold appliances, and colorful fashion. Die-hard fans of the comedian -- who would live for another 52 years after the film's theatrical release -- will find more to enjoy here... but as-is, Bachelor in Paradiseisn't exactly the most essential catalog release in Warner Bros.' deep library.
Nonetheless, Warner Archive has polished the film to a precise shine, from its playful opening credits to the warm, sunny landscapes of idealized
southern Californian suburbia and its many memorable landmarks. The lossless stereo audio sounds pretty great too, even if we don't get anything
in the way of worthwhile bonus features.
Any adjectives I've applied to most other Warner Archive titles (exceptional, outstanding, etc.) clearly apply to Bachelor in Paradise, which is sourced from a new 4K restoration of the original camera negative. Aside from the somewhat soft and fuzzy opening credits and the occasional optical zoom, fine detail and textures look sharp as a tack with excellent clarity, density, and a very clean overall appearance that leaves absolutely no room for dirt and debris. Film grain is fine but ever-present, thanks to the boutique label's careful touch that preserves is analog roots, and colors look perfectly suited to the era with a natural palette dominated by greens, browns, and pale blues. It's about as perfect as catalog releases get from a visual perspective, likely exceeding original theatrical showings and, of course, all previous digital home video releases... which, as far as I know, are limited to Warner Archive's own DVD from 2011.
Last year, Warner Archive's now-quiet YouTube channel uploaded several clips showing off the new restoration including the four-minute opening clip and an early conversation between Jack and Rosemary. Gorgeous work indeed!
Bachelor in Paradise's robust stereo soundtrack gets plenty of love too on this striking DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Track, which mostly adds a great deal of support for Henry Mancini's original score -- it really is a great effort and elevates a few scenes to modest heights, including a fun saxophone-driven piece that sounds awfully familiar to his classic Pink Panther theme. Everything else can't help but come in second, though: all the dialogue and background effects are presented in split mono with no separation, which can easily be tested during a few left-to-right drive-bys and other normally discrete moments. This creates a somewhat unique sound stage that might take some getting used to, but just think of it as a standard era-specific effort that opens up considerably during music cues.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and minimal extras.
Jack Arnold's Bachelor in Paradise is more of a fun time capsule than a worthwhile romantic comedy: though successful in its day -- a sequel was even proposed, but never made -- many portions of its story haven't aged very well and, on the whole, it feels much more like an extended sitcom episode than a full-bodied big-screen production. (I'm also not a huge fan of Bob Hope, if that weren't obvious enough already.) Warner Archive's Blu-ray, on the other hand, makes the most of it with another beautiful 4K-sourced restoration that showcases its sunny southern Californian landmarks, many of which have changed or disappeared since 1961 but are perfectly preserved here. Henry Mancini's score is great, too. It's worth at least a once-over but is only recommended as a purchase for die-hard fans of the cast.
1968
Warner Archive Collection
1963
1965
Authentic Collector's Edition
1963
Warner Archive Collection
1941
1963
1955
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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1986
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1972
1965
1948
2K Restoration
1965
1968
The Don Knotts Collection
1969
1964
2020
Collector's Edition
1963
1963